Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by ktrillionaire:

On-tap at Revolution prior to DLD. The brew pours an obsidian hue with very little froth but a menacing oily sheen. It shows legs on the glass' wall. The aroma announces Bourbon before I can even lift the glass off of the table, and the taste backs it up with a wallop of Whiskey. The beer is really tasting quite similar to 2010 BCS. There is also big milk chocolate, buttery oak, vanilla, sweet and roasted maltiness, and a generally nice balance between decadence and reasonability in terms of the favor profile. Quite impressed with this one.

More User Reviews:

A- motor oil black with a milk chocolate brown head that seemed inconsistent on tap. On one pour the chocolate-brown head took up 3/4 of the total pour and took several minutes to dissipate into a manageable 1-finger head. On another pour there was no head whatsoever and even when swirling the glass was difficult to generate any frothiness. The body was pitch black with no light getting through.

M- thick syrupie consistency, almost like you're drinking a mix of Nesquik Chocolate infused with bourbon. This is a true sipper that is dense, thick, and powerful--but you wouldn't want to drink too much of this. It's like liquid chocolate coffee cake. Or melted dark chocolate ice cream mixed with bourbon and dark coffee. Whatever it is, it rocks.

O- A very unique and powerful experience. I went back for several different rounds of this. The barrel-aged version is much more complex and enjoyable than regular Sodom, although I'd say that even the regular version is pretty rich and enjoyable.

Overall: I am not exactly sure why I am tasting/smelling so much cherry flavor, as it does not seem as though any other prior reviewer detected the same. Who knows -- maybe I was served the wrong beer. Either way, I enjoyed this one -- though I felt it was quite a bit over-hyped.

Recommendation: Worth seeking out to be sure, but this is not one of Revolution's best barrel-aged beers. I chose a shot at this over Gravedigger Billy after waiting in line for half an hour (since I had had the Gravedigger Billy several times before), but I would probably not do that again.

Taste was absolutely amazing. This beer was everything I was hoping for and more. Well balanced and drinks well. The taste was lots of chocolate bitterness with some vanilla. A little bit of alcohol burn, but in a good way.

Overall this is one of my favorite beers, I just wish it was bottled so I could continue to enjoy it. It is everything a big stout should be and so much more.

A - Black beer, mocha head that rose up about a finger or so, and faded away to nothingness. Decent retention, nice looking beer.

S - If you gave me a glass of this and told me it was Bourbon County Stout, I would believe you. Chocolate, vanilla, some roast, and a nice bourbon scent. Very appealing.

T - Not quite as sweet as BCS, but very heavy on teh chocolate. The vanilla comes out nicely, and the bourbon is surprisingly not hot. Some good char in there after it warms up a little bit. Very easy to drink and quite tasty. I had more than one.

M - My only complaint about this beer, wish it would thicken up a bit. Approriate carbonation.

Served in a 9oz snifter at the brewpub on eve of DLD '11 (standing room only.) This brew appears black in color with no light shining through it as I hold it up. A dense, dark brown head sits atop the brew and holds fairly well, a swirl revives the cap to a finger's strength.

Smells tangy with notes of bourbon accenting the alcohol aspect. Lots of sweet dark malt suggestions of cocoa powder, dark roasty grain, vanilla and toasted coconut. A light fruity alcohol note emerges across the back slightly fusel and tingles the nose as it warms.

This brew tastes of cocoa powder, semi sweet and lasting with an awesome bakers chocolate flavor moreso than the typical roasty bitter grains. A solid whiskey twang makes the alcohol flavor come forward but it is very enjoyable. It includes a slight herbal hop bitterness that keeps the sweetness in check and a high octane booze kick is perfectly integrated. The aftertaste is lightly wooded with more subtle barrel characteristics like coconut which is very enjoyable.

This is a deeply complex and super enjoyable offering. It is medium to full bodied with a smooth feel and modestly carbonated. It is an awesome example of the style. I would drink this all night if allowed. Great beer and perfect balance and barrel contribution. Screw DLD, I'd drive to Chicago again next year just for this!

A - Pours black, mocha-colored head, thin ring around the glass. There's a yellow hue where the beer once was after swirling around a bit. Some small bubbles on top but mostly just blackness.

S - Sweet milk chocolate, dark fruits, slight roast, smooth alcohol. The sweetness is big here, very decadent, both in dark fruits and chocolate. The malty roast is very slight as the beer warms along with a nice smooth alcohol presence.

T - Huge sweetness, dark fruits, chocolate, caramel, oak. The chocolate is just big, plain and simple, followed by oak, dark fruits, caramel. The booze is there, but the sweetness almost overpowers it. If not for the barrel-aging, I would think this would be too sweet, but the oak and bourbon help give it balance.

M - Perhaps a bit too thin, good carbonation, creamy finish.

D - While this is a very sweet beer, the bourbon barrel aging has contributed to it's balance. It's a big boozy monster, but I knew that coming in. I wouldn't say it hides the 13% well, but I wouldn't guess it was that high. It was so rich, this was a one and done for me, although I did enjoy it.

Edit: Taste is 4.25 so I adjusted the look to reflect what I felt is a deserving overall score.

D - This is a really good beer. I enjoyed it more than Barrel-Aged Dark Lord. It's like a thinner, mellower BCS. I would have had a second snifter if I hadn't had to run. Hope Three Floyds and Revolution make a second batch of this stuff.

On tap at the brewpub, DLD Eve 2011. This was served in smallish goblets, I'm guessing 8-10oz pours. It's dark, more black than brown, with a thin tan cap of finely celled foam.

Many at the table felt this smelled like BCS, and I guess it did a bit but to me it seemed my nose could choose between them. Nice bourbon character, also loads of maltiness, roasty and sweet, some chocolate, dark fruits, etc.

Very sweet initially, with bourbon flavors complimenting but never matching the sweetness. No burn at all, little evident alcohol in flavor (although definitely there, I felt it when I stood afterwards). Delicious, very drinkable, really nice barrel treatment.

Medium bodied, others characterized it as thin but it seemed OK to me, maybe similar to FiftyFifty Eclipse stouts in that attribute. On that note, this is less sweet than Eclipse so maybe this is a tad better in my book. I think it will be a hit, I enjoyed it a lot.

On tap @ DLD 2011. Served in several small glasses then poured together to fill my snifter to the top with the goodness. I think these were $10 each, but at that point I really wasn't paying...attention, that is.

This beer is very dark, almost pitch-black but a touch of brown and red shine through around the edges. It has a small off-white head that quickly subsides but leaves good soapy lace, which is all you can expect from a BA beer this big!

The smell reminded me instantly of BCS. In fact, I was almost convinced this was really BCS until I tasted it. The nose has strong bourbon notes and a nice fudge base with some notes of vanilla, oak, dark fruit, a touch of caramel and milk chocolate. The nose is delicate but brash, just how I like my beers - the more I explore, the better the scents get.

The taste is also very, very good. It was here that this beer really got its personality across. This beer has great levels of chocolate flavor and vanilla from the barrels. The booze is never too strong, and there's a sweet caramel and chocolate base that never becomes cloying. The barrel has added depth and great balance for a 13% huge stout. This was a standout and, IMO, is better than BCS fresh. Revolution nailed the perfect timing for the -bal age for this one.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the mouthfeel. The carbonation was low, but there, however, the beer just didn't seem sturdy enough for the huge tastes. It was a touch thin. But, with all these qualities considered, I must say this was easily one of the top tier brews I had a DLD this year. Just a wonderful experience to sip on! I don't know if this will ever be bottled, but I'd happily trade for one if it is! A nice introduction to the Revolution!

Super dark black body with only a light tan head ring forming, no lace or retention... the aroma is super sweet, tons of bourbon, sweet chocolate, smells like bcs, good... the taste is really rounded and smooth bourbon but also very complex, lot of creamy chocolate with a distinct bitter coffee finish, taste is really rich, almost decadent but I don’t detect much alcohol at all... This is a really good barrel aged stout